Built-up shoe and the like



Jan. 6, 1970 l. RICHARDSON 3,'4'87;562

BUILT-UP SHOE AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 12, 1968 INVENTOR. Irene Richardson United States Patent 3,487,562 BUILT-UP SHOE AND THE LIKE Irene Richardson, 5624 35th Ave. SW., Seattle, Wash. 98126 Filed Feb. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 704,847 Int. Cl. A43b 21/02, 13/12 U.S. Cl. 136-25 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is for a shoe adapted for use by those needing an orthopedic or built-up shoe which can be made of light weight, less bulky materials combined with plastics. It includes a shoe body which may be of soft plastics like Corfam which breathe in the manner of leather to ventilate the foot, and in the interior of the heel are packed with light cork or the like, enclosed in hard plastics, and have light weight cork lining the sole of the shoe.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe manufacture, especially in built-up shoes.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved built up shoe in which use is made of inexpensive materials, to nevertheless make the shoe construction attractive and comfortable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved built up shoe in which there is a shoe body for enclosing the upper portion of the foot, with a hollow heel portion formed of relatively hard plastics filled with soft material in the nature of cork and the like, the sole of the shoe which is immediately beneath the sole portion of the foot being also formed of soft shock absorbing resilient material in the nature of cork and the like, for optimum comfort and durability.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved shoe construction, in which the heels can be made in a single or plural plastic casting machine for lowest manufacturing cost, and in which the filling for the heels and soles can similarly be made at low cost, and by relatively inexperienced labor.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved built-up shoe construction which can be easily made to be adapted to the latest styles of conventional shoes, and at a comparable cost.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one form of elevated or built-up shoe;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of another shoe of the pair according to the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a plan detail view of a sole portion of a shoe, the view being partly sectioned;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional plan view taken through the heel of the shoe in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional elevational view taken on plane 5-5 of FIGURE 4, apart from the shoe.

In connection with the manufacture and use of built up or orthopedic shoes, it has been found that the cost to the wearer is quite high, and further that the appearance of the shoes makes it immediately apparent that it is for a person who requires such a shoe, such as a handicapped person or one who is much on his or her feet and suffers pain or discomfort therefrom. Such shoes are normally quite heavy and awkward for the average person, and most unsatisfactory with regard to appearance. The shoes made according to the present invention can be made of light weight plastics and other materials, which would cost much less, and lend themselves to more attractive "Ice appearance and tend to avoid indication that they are orthopedic or built-up shoes. Further, they would give greater comfort with the top part of the shoe, and, by use of modern plastics, would allow a choice of colors to strengthen the morale of the user.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the best means for carrying it out, reference may be had to the drawings, in which like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown, there is a shoe 10 in FIGURE 1 and a shoe 12 in FIGURE 2, both having suitable decorative or operational means for enhancing the fastening of the shoe to the foot, such as ankle straps 14, or other means. The shoe body portions 18 and 18a are preferably formed of soft plastic materials of the breathable type, such as Corfam, which allows air and moisture to penetrate, in the manner of leather, but at much less expense in manufacture.

The counter portions 20 and 20a, which form a backing for the body heel of the user of each shoe, can also be made of suitable reinforcing material internally, and are covered with the above mentioned breathable type plastics. While these shoes where possible depending on the users needs may be made of open-toe construction, it is preferred that they be made in the closed-toe construction shown, for the benefit of the handicapped person or other person needing such shoes.

Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, it is seen that there is a heel 22 of the shoe. For shoes for men, however, the heel may be of different appearance or elevation, and the male oxfor type of appearance may be adopted, with laces or other tying means. In FIGURES 4 and 5, it is apparent that the heel 22 is formed of a hard plastic material forming an enclosure or encasement for a chamber 24, defined by walls 26, suitably rounded as seen in FIGURES 1 and 4, and relatively flattened out as at wall 28, with possibly some slight curvature as seen in FIGURES 1 and 5, depending on the construction.

The interior of the chamber 24 is filled with cork filling 30 of suitable thickness to elevate the shorter foot and leg, and the part of the heel which touches the ground, as at lift 32, is formed of suitable material such as leather or rubber or other composition material. As seen in FIGURE 3, there is shown the sole portion 34 of the shoe apart from the rest of the shoe, the view showing the thickened cork interior 36 of the sole, to elevate the shorter foot and leg, Wtih exterior confining edging walls 38 formed of plastic material, while, as with the heel lifts 32, the portion 40 of the sole which touches the ground, is made of conventional materials, such as leather or rubber or other sole composition.

The interior of the shoe itself is made substantially the same as conventional shoes, with any suitable lining material comfortable to the foot, and the straps 14 may be made of any suitable material, such as hard flexible plastic, with a lining of cotton cloth, for the comfort of the wearer.

It is seen that the shoes may be made by mass production methods of shoe manufacture, and they may be assembled similarly, with the use of adhesive materials, stitching or other means, depending upon the adjacent and overlying materials used. As so many of the persons needing built up shoes are on public welfare assistance, and the cost of the shoe comes out of their welfare money allowance, it has been a considerable hardship to the wearer to obtain such shoes. It is believed that the presently disclosed shoe construction will give the person wearing them not only a feeling of security, but also of being well shod, as that is a morale builder. The presently disclosed shoe, using plastics as mentioned, with cork filling, will give the wearer a feeling of dignity that cannot possibly be overshadowed by the cumbersome all-leather shoes now being used, and at much less cost.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in specific terms, it is understood that this is by way of example, and that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials and arrangement.

I claim:

1. A shoe comprising shoe body means defining a hollow foot receiving chamber, heel means secured to said shoe body means, sole means secured to said shoe body means and extending forwardly from said heel means, heel filler means carried by said heel means, sole filler means carried by said sole means, and sole traction means covering the underside of said sole means for engagement with the ground, said heel means being formed of hard plastic material and said heel filler means being formed of cork material.

2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said heel means includes heel traction means formed of leather material, and wherein said sole traction means is formed of the same material as said heel traction means.

3. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said heel means includes heel traction means formed of rubber material, and wherein said sole traction means is formed of the same material as said heel traction means.

4. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said heel means includes heel traction means formed of traction composition material, and wherein said sole traction means is formed of the same material as said heel traction means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 326,476 9/1885 Butterfield 3630 2,439,172 4/1948 Chapelle 36-30 3,130,505 4/1964 Markevitch 363 X 3,363,343 1/1968 Bourassa et al. 36-34X PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.=R. 

